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Duterte should be 'more diplomatic', not threatening US for COVID-19 vaccines: Lacson

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Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/news/12/28/lacson-duterte.jpg"/><figcaption>Sen. Panfilo Lacson. <em>Joseph Vidal, Senate PRIB</em> / President Rodrigo Duterte. <em>Richard Madelo, Presidential Photo</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Monday warned that President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s threat to boot out American soldiers from the Philippines in exchange for COVID-19 vaccines from the United States was &quot;unfortunate.&quot;</p><p>The President could have taken a &quot;more diplomatic&quot; approach instead of &quot;sounding like we are blackmailing&quot; the Philippines&#x27; longtime ally, Lacson said in a statement.</p><p>&quot;Such a pronouncement from the President is at the very least, unfortunate,&quot; he said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/27/20/duterte-to-us-deliver-covid-19-vaccine-to-ph-or-forget-about-vfa">Duterte to US: Deliver COVID-19 vaccine to PH or forget about VFA</a></li></ul><p>&quot;Treating the Americans like a bunch of yokels might have sealed our fate to settle for China’s Sinovac in lieu of the US-made Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines,&quot; he added.</p><p>Duterte, who had long hit the US for alleged interference in Philippine affairs, including issues on human rights, said on Saturday that he would end the country&#x27;s military pact with the United States if it fails to deliver COVID-19 vaccines.</p><p>&quot;&#x27;Yung Visiting Forces Agreement, matatapos na. Ngayon, &#x27;pag hindi ako pumayag, aalis talaga sila. &#x27;Pag di sila naka-deliver maski minimum ng 20 million vaccines, better get out. No vaccine, no stay here,&quot; Duterte said in a meeting attended by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on COVID-19 mitigation.</p><p>(The VFA nears its end. If I don&#x27;t approve, they will be booted out. If they fail to deliver a minimum of 20 million vaccines, they better get out.)</p><p>Duterte had ordered the termination of the VFA earlier this year, after Washington invoked the American Magnitsky Act and denied the issuance of a US visa to Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.</p><p>In June, Duterte shelved the abrogation of the VFA, and renewed the same in November.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/11/20/philippines-postpones-vfa-abrogation-anew">Philippines postpones VFA abrogation anew</a></li></ul><p>The Philippine government had said it plans to get 25 million doses from China&#x27;s Sinovac next year despite reports that the company has a history of bribing Chinese drug regulators to get approval to run clinical trials.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/09/20/philippines-to-look-into-bribery-claim-vs-sinovac">Philippines to look into bribery claim vs Sinovac</a></li></ul><p>The Sinovac vaccine is also more expensive than US-made vaccines at P3,629.50 for 2 doses. Pfizer&#x27;s COVID-19 vaccine costs P2,379 for 2 doses, while Novavax is pegged at P366 only for 2 doses, according to a presentation earlier this month by Sen. Sonny Angara.</p><p>&quot;What is more unfortunate is that we had a good chance to procure vaccines early from the US, but someone from our side dropped the ball, and has yet to be held accountable up to this day,&quot; Lacson said.</p><p>The Philippines was supposed to get some 10 million COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer in early 2021, but the deal fell through after Health Secretary Francisco Duque III failed to submit the necessary documents on time.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/16/20/lacson-says-cabinet-member-dropped-the-ball-in-vaccine-deal-with-pfizer">Lacson says Duque &#x27;dropped the ball&#x27; in vaccine deal with Pfizer</a></li></ul><p>Instead of demanding the US to give vaccines to the Philippines, Duterte should have &quot;threatened China&quot; to stop selling &quot;inferior vaccines,&quot; opposition Sen. Francis &quot;Kiko&quot; Pangilinan said in a tweet.</p><p>&quot;Perhaps our citizens would be better off if he instead threatened China not to sell us more expensive yet less than effective or inferior vaccines,&quot; he said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/10/20/which-covid-19-vaccine-is-most-cost-friendly-for-ph-government">Which COVID-19 vaccine is most cost-friendly for PH government?</a></li></ul><p>While lawmakers earmarked some P72.5 billion in the 2021 budget for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines next year, the Philippines lags behind regional peers in the acquisition of the drug.</p><p>Singapore is the first Asian country to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech shots after approving the companies&#x27; vaccine.</p><p>Duque had said the Philippines hopes to begin inoculation by March 2021.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/12/21/20/singapore-gets-asias-first-batch-of-pfizers-covid-19-vaccine">Singapore gets Asia&#x27;s first batch of Pfizer&#x27;s COVID-19 vaccine</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F-P_Jb4QFiU?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s78nIOiMqyM?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HklyEMwAnUQ?enablejsapi=1&amp;start=2085&amp;end=2411" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Monday warned that President Rodrigo Duterte's threat to boot out American soldiers from the Philippines in exchange for COVID-19 vaccines from the United States may affect the country's quest to procure vaccines against the pandemic.</p>

Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Monday warned that President Rodrigo Duterte's threat to boot out American soldiers from the Philippines in exchange for COVID-19 vaccines from the United States may affect the country's quest to procure vaccines against the pandemic.

Duterte should be 'more diplomatic', not threatening US for COVID-19 vaccines: Lacson

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Duterte should be 'more diplomatic', not threatening US for COVID-19 vaccines: Lacson

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 28, 2020 02:10 PM PHT

Read More:

COVID-19 vaccine

United States

China

Pfizer

Sinovac

Rodrigo Duterte

Ping Lacson

Kiko Pangilinan

health

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